Episode Details

Everyone has the capacity for finding purpose after a profound life change, even when the path forward seems obscured by grief. In this episode, Irene Weinberg welcomes Karen Olson, founder and CEO emeritus of Family Promise, to explore the beauty of resilience and the power of service. Karen shares her deeply personal journey of transforming the heartbreak of losing her mother at age twelve into a life dedicated to uplifting homeless families. She also discusses her inspiring new book, Meant for More: Following Your Heart and Finding Your Purpose, and how her recent spinal cord injury has deepened her spiritual perspective on compassion. Join us for a heartfelt conversation about how rupture can lead to rebirth, and how each of us can act as a North Star for someone else.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT THINGS LIKE:

• How childhood loss, specifically the suicide of her mother, created a "hole in the heart" that simultaneously heightened Karen’s sensitivity to the suffering of others.
• The transformative power of a chance encounter with a homeless woman named Millie in Grand Central Station, which sparked the creation of Family Promise.
• How Family Promise’s innovative "rotation model" mobilizes local congregations to provide housing and community support to families experiencing homelessness.
• The profound shift in Karen’s healing journey that occurred when her father finally embraced her during a hospitalization, highlighting the power of connection over talk therapy.
• How Karen’s recent spinal cord injury served as a second "rupture," forcing her to reinvent her life again and deepening her spiritual perspective on resilience and vulnerability.

WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-aqXGzd-sA&list=PL7judgDzhkAWmfyB5r5WgFD6ahombBvoh

📚Meant for More: Following Your Heart and Finding Your Purpose - https://amzn.to/4uJb3zG

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